| DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. | |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Industry: | Video games |
| Foundation: | 1996 |
| Founder: | Richard Wah Kan |
| Location: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Fate: | Dissolved with parent, assets acquired by Nordic Games |
| Successor: | THQ Nordic |
| Defunct: | 2011 |
| Products: | See products listing |
| Parent: | JoWooD Entertainment (2006–2011) |
| Divisions: | The Adventure Company |
DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. (also known as DreamCatcher Games) was a Canadian video game publisher founded in 1996 by Richard Wah Kan. It was best known for its adventure games. In 2006, the company became a subsidiary of JoWooD Entertainment. In 2011, the company went into administration along with its parent JoWooD and all assets were purchased by Nordic Games Holding. The DreamCatcher Interactive brand is currently being used as a publishing label for THQ Nordic.[1]
DreamCatcher Interactive was founded in 1996 at Toronto, Canada. Its first published title was Jewels of the Oracle.[2] The company gradually drifted into becoming a publisher focused on the adventure genre after finding that "customers really were hungry for" these titles, according to DreamCatcher's Marshall Zwicker. Beyond Time was among the releases whose reception drew the publisher to this field. Profit reported that DreamCatcher located such projects via "networking at tradeshows and reviewing unsolicited game proposals." In 1999, DreamCatcher pushed its corporate strategy by launching , and The Crystal Key.[3] The latter went on to a major hit. DreamCatcher's top four titles for 2000 were , Traitors Gate, Beyond Atlantis and The Crystal Key. These games respectively made up 9%, 14%, 15% and 32% of DreamCatcher's sales that year.[4] In March 2000, DreamCatcher was purchased by Cryo Interactive.[5] Continuing the company's growth, in November 2000, DreamCatcher signed with Her Interactive to publish the Nancy Drew franchise.[6]
In late 2002, most of the assets and development teams of French-based publisher, Cryo Interactive were absorbed by DreamCatcher Interactive, forming the base for DreamCatcher Europe including key offices and a large internal studio.[7] By early 2003, DreamCatcher was the United States' tenth-biggest publisher of games.[8] After the acquisition of Cryo Interactive, Dreamcatcher created a publishing division called The Adventure Company in early 2003. The company also partnered with both Wanadoo Edition and Microïds, as well as other studios in the development and distribution of games including Syberia, Still Life and ObsCure.[9] In 2005, the main Microïds studio was acquired by Ubisoft with Dreamcatcher retaining publishing rights to the games being created.[10]
The Adventure Company brand label under DreamCatcher has released many adventure game series' including series' based on Agatha Christie novels. They also recently signed to release a series of titles based on The Hardy Boys.[11] Outside of adventure gaming, DreamCatcher is best known for publishing the first-person shooter Painkiller developed with People Can Fly. Painkiller became a commercial success and was signed with the CPL World Tour 2005.[12] Dreamcatcher would also create another label, Silverline Software, around 2004 for the distribution of some non-core games and the publishing of utility software. Silverline Software would release the "Time to Ride" series of girl's horse games starting in 2004, which would later be acquired by Ubisoft.
In 2006, JoWooD Entertainment announced the purchase of DreamCatcher Games as a way of increasing their presence into the North American gaming market in addition to acquiring the company's key titles and licenses.[13] Since the acquisition, DreamCatcher Games has continued to launch titles both under The Adventure Company and DreamCatcher labels including new games created by JoWooD like the SpellForce series. In 2011, JoWooD went into administration causing DreamCatcher to file for bankruptcy. In November 2011, Nordic Games Holding announced that they had acquired all DreamCatcher assets and would be turning it into a publishing label of their subsidiary Nordic Games.[14] Nordic Games Holding had previously acquired JoWooD and The Adventure Company in August also turning both brands into publishing labels of Nordic Games.[15] [16] All business operations of this brand are being conducted out of THQ Nordic in Vienna, Austria.[14]
Note: This list is for titles which DreamCatcher Interactive published. Releases of games under The Adventure Company banner are not included.
| Year | Title | Developer | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Jewels of the Oracle | ELOI Productions | Macintosh, Windows 3.x |
| 1997 | Cryo Interactive Entertainment | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | |
| Safecracker | Daydream Software | ||
| Soldier Boyz | Daydream Software | Microsoft Windows | |
| Beyond Time | Jones and Jones Multimedia | Microsoft Windows, Windows 3.x | |
| 1998 | ELOI Productions | ||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| 1999 | The Adventures of Jonny Quest | ||
| The Crystal Key | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2000 | |||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| Seven Games of the Soul | |||
| Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | |||
| The Legend of Lotus Spring | |||
| The Sacred Amulet | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Macintosh, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | |||
| Traitors Gate | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | ||
| Beyond Atlantis | |||
| In Cold Blood | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | ||
| The New Adventures of the Time Machine | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | |||
| The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance | |||
| 2001 | Frank Herbert's Dune | Microsoft Windows | |
| Macintosh, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | |||
| PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | |||
| The Messenger | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | ||
| Game Boy Color | |||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| The Secrets of Alamut | |||
| Woody Woodpecker | Game Boy Color | ||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| Jekyll & Hyde | |||
| The Shadow of Zorro | |||
| From Dusk Till Dawn | |||
| Beyond Atlantis II | |||
| MegaRace 3 | |||
| 2002 | Game Boy Advance | ||
| Gremlins: Stripe vs. Gizmo | |||
| PlayStation 2 | |||
| Casino Mogul | Microsoft Windows | ||
| SuperPower | |||
| Factory Mogul | |||
| Arabian Nights | |||
| The Mystery of the Nautilus | |||
| Rock Manager | |||
| Agassi Tennis Generation | PlayStation 2 | ||
| Iron Storm | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Game Boy Advance | |||
| PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows | |||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| PlayStation | |||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| Game Boy Advance | |||
| Post Mortem | Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2003 | Battlecruiser Millennium Gold | ||
| Harbinger | |||
| PlayStation | |||
| Emergency Fire Response | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Spirits & Spells | GameCube | ||
| Microsoft Windows, Xbox | |||
| Etherlords II | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Ultimate Beach Soccer | Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox | ||
| Pax Romana | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Arx Fatalis | Xbox | ||
| 2004 | Saddle Up: Time to Ride | Microsoft Windows | |
| Besieger | |||
| Universal Combat | |||
| Painkiller | |||
| SuperPower 2 | |||
| Lights Out | |||
| Return to Mysterious Island | |||
| 2005 | |||
| Yager | |||
| The Moment of Silence | |||
| Domination | |||
| ObsCure | PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox | ||
| Painkiller: Gold Edition | Microsoft Windows | ||
| MetalHeart: Replicants Rampage | |||
| Dungeon Lords | |||
| Still Life | Xbox | ||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| Painkiller: Black | |||
| Cold War | Microsoft Windows, Xbox | ||
| Wii, Microsoft Windows | |||
| 2006 | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Dungeon Lords: Collector's Edition | |||
| Keepsake | |||
| Glory of the Roman Empire | |||
| Wildlife Zoo | |||
| Xbox | |||
| Ship Simulator 2006 | Microsoft Windows | ||
| First Battalion | |||
| Neverend | |||
| 2007 | Nanny Mania | ||
| Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game | |||
| Power Boat GT | |||
| The Sacred Rings | |||
| The Ugly Prince Duckling | |||
| Genesis Rising | |||
| Dawnspire: Prelude | |||
| Voyage | |||
| Dunes of War | |||
| Dead Reefs | |||
| Atlantis Evolution | |||
| Animates | Nintendo DS | ||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| Nintendo DS | |||
| Next Life | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Zoo Quest: Puzzle Fun | Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2008 | Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile | Microsoft Windows | |
| Agatha Christie: Mysteries | |||
| The Experiment | |||
| Seven Kingdoms: Conquest | |||
| Painkiller Triple Dose | |||
| Wildlife Zoo: Deluxe Edition | |||
| Drivers Ed Portable | Nintendo DS | ||
| Syberia | |||
| Dreamer: Horse Trainer | |||
| Learn Math for Grades 1-4 | |||
| Dreamer: Puppy Trainer | |||
| Matchstick | |||
| 2009 | Inkheart | ||
| Dreamer: Pop Star | |||
| Monster Band | |||
| Dreamer Series: Babysitter | |||
| Let's Play: Shops | |||
| Microsoft Windows | |||
| Treasure Island | |||
| 2010 | |||
| Gothic II (Gold Edition) | |||
| Chaser | |||
| Painkiller: Pandemonium | |||
| 2011 |